File 9: Silver and Blue
by XfoxxbloodX
Summary: Set after the end of the anime, another case is presented to SPR. This time, their client is...a ghost? Just what is going on here...?
1. Part 1: A Request

**Important Author's Note**;; I am really bad at handling scary, though I like to believe otherwise. XD I'll try my best to be as creepy as possible, but it'll probably be amateur work at best. Anyway, have fun reading~ Oh, yes, and I'm basing this off the end of the anime, not the manga. (I've read the manga too, but I like the anime better.~)

…

;;**T**hursday, **A**fternoon;;

"Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research, how can I help you?"

Things had been pretty slow ever since they'd wrapped up the case for the Yoshimi family. Once Naru had been released from the hospital, things quickly returned to normal. Mai worked part-time, Naru was here practically twenty-four seven, and Lin was…well, Lin. Quiet, absorbed in his work…typical. To tell the truth, Mai was glad someone had come calling. She needed to talk to someone other than her own reflection. (Lin was kind of scary when he got interrupted, even though he didn't do much more than glare, and she could barely stand to be in the same room with Naru half the time.)

"Mai? Mai Taniyama?"

She took a closer look at who was standing in the doorway. He was an upperclassman from her school. She'd seen him around a few times, but couldn't recall his name. He was on the Student Council, but that was about all she knew.

"Yeah, that's me," she replied. "Can I help you?"

"I have something to ask for a friend of mine. She was worried about something, and I remembered that you were into the kind of paranormal stuff she's worried about."

"Oh, in that case, you'll want to talk with Naru. He's back here, come on in." She shut the door behind him and smiled. "I can't promise he'll take the case, but he'll hear you out." She halted in front of the right door and gave two quick knocks. "Naru, there's someone here to see you."

"Come in."

Mai really didn't know why she expected Naru to be doing anything else other than reading. She wasn't surprised when that's what she found him doing, but still felt a twinge of annoyance. Reading was good and all, but he needed something else to do with his spare time. As they entered, he set the book down and turned to meet them eye-to-eye.

"You're Kazuya Shibuya, right?"

If Naru was caught off guard by the use of his full name, he didn't show it. "Yes, that's me. And you are…?"  
>"Oh, my apologies. My name is Naoto Takahashi, and I was wondering if you would hear me out. I'm a Junior at Mai's school, and some very strange things have been happening."<p>

Mai thought back. She was fairly sure she knew what Naoto was going to say. If so, it would involve a girl from her own year and multiple reports of poltergeist-like activity. She hadn't come into contact with the girl in question yet, but she'd heard from whispers in the hallway and had a vague idea what had been going on.

"You see, there's this Freshman girl that's been recently getting picked on a lot by the older students. Usually in the span of five minutes after she leaves the scene, the bullies report feelings or being watched, breathed on, and even shoved down the hall. Their lockers would jam unexpectedly, and doors would shut on their faces. Some even swear they've been attacked by a cat."

"And what's the girl's name?"

Mai was startled out of her thoughts by Naru's remark. Small individual cases like this weren't usually his style. Shouldn't he be turning Naoto down right about now? His interest was odd…

"Her name's Koto Yamamoto," Naoto answered. If the name meant anything to Naru, he didn't show it, so Naoto went on. "I've hear she isn't the social type, and likes to keep to herself. Before a week ago, actually, not many people knew who she was. After that, she started getting picked on for some reason. I think…she had one friend but…" He looked over to Mai with a sad expression. "You know the story. Three months ago, remember?"

Mai caught her breath. "No way, are you talking about…_her_?"

Naoto nodded, looking down at the floor. "Rubi Tanaka. She was a Freshman too."

"And what happened to her?"

"She was killed in a car accident about three months ago. The driver who caused it was drunk, and he and Rubi's mother came out with minor injuries. She died on the spot when a piece of the windshield hit her neck." Naoto paused. "I think her father had left when she was little, and her mother moved away not long after Rubi's funeral. Koto hasn't been the same since then." He looked back up, appearing thoughtful. "That's about all the information I have. If you ask any of the students who upset Koto, you'll hear the same basic tale."

Mai didn't dare speak up for fear of breaking Naru's train of thought. He had that look in his eyes that plainly said 'interrupt and die'. Naoto was apparently smart enough to see it was well, because he kept his mouth shut too. The silence persisted until Mai thought she was about to lose her temper and growl at her boss.

"Who asked you to come forward with this?" Naru asked.

"My girlfriend's sister knew Koto from middle school," Naoto replied, apparently relieved to be talking again. "She was afraid for her well-being and asked me if I knew anyone who might be able to help. I remember Mai had taken a part-time job at a paranormal investigation company, so I came here."

Another thick bout of silence fell upon them, but not nearly for as long. Mai used the time to reflect on what Naoto had said. It did add up with what she'd heard from her friends. Just a few weeks ago, she had no idea who Koto Yamamoto was, but now half the school knew her name. And she also remembered…Rubi's story. She hadn't been particularly well-known either, but now that she focused, she and Koto had been close friends. Come to think of it, Mai thought she had at least one class with Koto…

"One last question." Naru's voice brought Mai back to the present situation. "Where can we find Miss Yamamoto?"

Naoto shrugged. "That, I'm afraid, I don't know. I'm not sure where she lives, but I do know she walks home on a route that passes not far from here. If you were to stand at the edge of the crowd, she's very easy to pick out. Look for a tall girl with pale skin, a blue scarf, and a dozen or so silver bells around her neck."

"I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. We'll look into it."

_Whoa, we're taking the case?_ Mai was stunned. Little things like this weren't Naru's thing. He turned them down ninety-nine percent of the time. _What's up with the sudden change of heart? Is he possessed or something? I'll ask him once I show Naoto out…_

So, once she showed her senior out, she came back to find her boss in the same spot she'd left him. He still appeared to be thinking, but she decided to interrupt anyway.

"What's the deal, Naru? Cases like this aren't your thing. Why'd you take it?"

"Are you complaining?" he asked, giving her 'the look' from the corner of his eye.

Mai frowned. "Well, no, but it's not like you."

He interlaced his fingers, staring past them to the wall. "Let's just say I'm very interested in the events surrounding Miss Yamamoto. Yesterday morning, I got a call from someone claiming to be Rubi Tanaka, the Freshman killed in the accident three months prior. I had Lin trace the number, and it came back as a Miss Koto Yamamoto. Throughout the day, I was also contacted by Ms. Matzuzaki, Miss Hara, Monk, and Father Brown. They all told me the same thing…that they had been visited by a girl possessed by the spirit of Miss Tanaka."

Mai couldn't believe what she was hearing. Masako, Ayako, Mink, and even John _all_ had encounters with the same person? Possessed by the _same_ spirit? One of them would have been strange enough, but all four… This was downright bizarre.

"They all said the same thing," Naru continued. "They said Rubi was asking for help. Naturally, if only one of them had reported it in, I likely would have turned them down, but all four?" His shrewd eyes narrowed slightly. "This was too suspicious to pass up. And I have my own motives for taking the case that I'll keep to myself for the time being. We've arranged to meet up here tomorrow. Don't bother coming, Mai, we'll be heading on over to your school in a short while. If you can, find Miss Yamamoto and keep an eye on her. Don't do anything that could get you out of class, however. We don't need you getting dumber."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she growled, shutting the door behind her with unnecessary force. She was angry that she wasn't allowed to attend the morning meeting, but did realize the gravity of the situation. Koto had been possessed by her best friend who was now a spirit to ask for help from every person in the immediate area. And why did a spirit need help, for that matter? Mai had seen Masako persuade spirits to go into the light before…wasn't it just that easy? See the light and walk into it? Or…was it different for Rubi? She shook her head. It was just so weird… _Well, I guess thinking about it won't do much good. Looks like I'll have to go to school tomorrow to find out._

…

And that's the end of chapter one~ I know, this probably wasn't scary at all… It'll get, uh, worse…or better…I dunno how to say it. *shot* xD Well, I'll try to be scarier soon.


	2. Part 2: Rubi Appears

Welcome to chapter two~! And, of course, you're warned that I'm not scary at all. ,_, xD I have a bucket-load of stuff to do now, so, Lucas, do the disclaimer for me, please.  
><span>But I'm not even in this story, Foxxy…<span>  
><em>Pleeeaaaase<em>, Lucas?  
><span>Oh, all right. Foxxy doesn't own Ghost Hunt (because if she did, it wouldn't have ended and something like this would've happened).<span>

…

;;**F**riday;;

Mai ended up going to school on Friday, just as she was told. She chatted with her friends for a bit, then set off on her mission. Koto shouldn't be too hard to spot, right? …Wait for it…

Wrong!

Mai asked around to everyone she met. All of them knew who Koto was, but practically no one knew what classes she had or even what she looked like. She was just about ready to give up. Even Keiko and Michiru, her two best friends, had no idea where Koto might be. She even asked Kuroda to help out! And still nothing…

"This is impossible," she groaned as the bell marking the end of first period rang. "Koto's like a ghost…you hear about her, but you never see her." Then Mai stopped dead. That…was just too weird. She gave herself a nervous smile. _Of course I'm making ghost jokes now, I'm a ghost hunter!_ She gave herself a mental slap. "Okay, Mai, focus! She has to be here somewhere."

As if on cue, her instincts went off. It was just like all those other times when on cases with the SPR gang. Mai's eyes were drawn exactly where to look, and her senses disregarded everything else around her. Just turning the corner ahead was a girl with long dark hair, and, as she vanished, a flap of light blue whisked behind her.

A scarf.

That _had_ to be Koto. Dark hair, blue scarf? Yep. Mai walked quickly, not wanting to run, but not wanting to lose her. Just as she rounded the same corner Koto had, she froze.

A group of boys were apparently harassing Koto. One of them, seemingly the leader, sneered and knocked her books out of her arms. Koto didn't resist. When they hit the floor, she merely bent down to pick them up again. As she was reaching for her textbook, the leader gave it a swift kick and sent it spinning down the length of the hallway.

"Hah, that's for looking me in the eye, foureyes," he growled. "Go get it, doggy. Go on."

Mai was absolutely furious, but upon closer inspection, she noticed that Koto was shaking. Her hands were curled into tight fists as she rose slowly to her feet. She raised her head, staring into the leader's face with fury on every line in her body.

"I hope you die a horrible and bloody _death_!" she snarled, and went sprinting off down the hall. She swiped her fallen book off the ground without stopping, and rounded the next corner. Everyone in the immediate area had stopped and watched, but no one had lifted a finger to help Koto.

"Dude, don't you know who that was?" one of the boys from the gang muttered in his leader's ear. "That was the Yamamoto girl. She just told you to die a bloody death!"

Whispering filled the hall as Mai took off after Koto. She had to find her…her instincts said not to let the girl be alone now. She didn't know why, but Koto should _never_ be here alone. She slid around the corner, nearly crashing into a couple of girls. Mai didn't know who they were and didn't really care.

"Hey, did a girl with a blue scarf just run by here?" she asked breathlessly.

"Um, yeah, she was headed for the bathroom, I think."  
>"Thanksgottagobye!" Mai took off again. The bathroom was just down the hall, towards the end. She had to think to herself that Koto would be all right…that nothing had happened in such a short time span. She couldn't shake the dread, and slowed as the approached the door. With just a second of hesitation, she pushed it in and then stopped.<p>

Koto was standing in front of a mirror, looking devoid of all emotion. She wasn't crying…she didn't seem angry… The lack of expression sort of reminded her of Naru.

"Where are you, Rubi?" she asked in a low voice. "Come on, don't hurt anyone this time… I didn't mean to say that. Come on, don't go…"

_Rubi? As in Rubi Tanaka, the Freshman Koto knew? What?_ Mai swallowed as she felt a cold presence pass by her. She suppressed a shiver, and felt it walk past her to stand behind Koto. The girl gave no indication she was afraid.

"**Why can't I hurt him, Koto-chaan? He hurt _youu_…"**

The voice wasn't Koto's…and it wasn't Mai's. It seemed to come out of thin air. Mai edged sideways a little, getting a look trough the mirror Koto was standing in front of. Another face was in the mirror too… A girl, about her age. Auburn hair and green eyes…Mai knew this was Rubi.

Because her face was the only thing in the mirror.

Rubi had no body except for a neck and part of her shoulders. Mai could only see the girl in the mirror, and there wasn't anything she could really discern beside Koto. There was maybe a bit of mist, but not a full-formed apparition. Mai also noted the stress Rubi was putting on the vowels of some words.

"You can't, Rubi, please," Koto begged. "I don't want people getting hurt because of me anymore… I've had enough. Just stop. I know you want to protect me, but all you're doing is making things worse."

"**What should I do then, Koto-chaan? Should I just leave youu to fend for yourself?"**

"No, please don't leave…but stop hurting people."

"**Can I just slam _onee_ door?"**

Koto visibly hesitated, then heaved a sigh and hung her head. "One door, Rubi. Just one."

Rubi gave a ghastly giggled. **"Onee door, I promissse." **And the presence faded.

Koto looked up, looking at her reflection for a few long moments. Mai noticed the dark shadows under her eyes and the way her shoulders were tense but trying so hard to loosen up… She was more like Naru then Mai had first thought. Sometimes when she saw him, it looked like he struggled just to get through the day, to hold himself together, and not just shatter is someone approached. That was how Koto looked…

"What the…who are you?"

Mai gave a little jump of surprise. _That_ was Koto. She'd caught sight of Mai in the mirror, and turned to look. The girls simply stared for a few heartbeats, then Koto looked away from direct eye contact.

"Oh, hi, my name's Mai Taniyama," Mai said, recovering. "You're Koto Yamamoto, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," she replied, still not meeting eye-to-eye. "How long have you been standing there? Long?"

"Er, no, I just came in."

Koto was visibly relieved. She let her shoulders relax and sighed. "Ah, okay. Well, we should be getting to class. Don't want to be late."

"Yeah…" Mai left and Koto was right behind her. However…they were both going in the same direction. After traversing two hallways and neither of them veered off, Mai decided to ask. "I have art class next. What about you?"

"I have art too…" Koto stared at her. "Weird."

Mai felt facepalming. Koto was in the same art class…how could she have _not_ noticed that? In fact…Mai thought it was odd she'd never noticed Koto. Even within the last week, when the incidents started occurring, she had no idea…

Most of art class went off without a hitch. Since, as long as they were working, they were allowed to sit anywhere they wanted, Mai went and sat next to Koto. (She'd been all alone this entire time, and Mai had never noticed.) They were finishing painting their paper mâché creatures. Mai had chosen a cat, and gone with a dark blue. Koto had gone with a fox, and turned it black. The markings she put on it were very impressive, to say the least. A white muzzle with a red claw mark on top, white ears with red slashes, four white slashes on its back, a red chest, four red slashes on the legs, the front-left paw was white, the rest were red, the tail-tips were white and had a jagged red stripe slightly below them. The fox had three tails, too… Mai disregarded it. So Koto liked kitsunes, that wasn't a crime.

There were times when Mai thought she heard a voice in her ear, or something brushing her arm. Her brushes rolled across the table by themselves, when no one had moved them. Still, it wasn't anything that was worth worrying about…

She didn't catch sight of Naru or the others until the end of the day. John had come in briefly, telling her to bring Koto out to chat with them once the bell rang, then he disappeared down the hall before she could ask why. Mai was annoyed, but resolved to do just that. At the end of the day, she walked with Koto out to right place. Monk, Ayako, Masako, Naru, Lin, and John…they were all there.

"Hi there," Monk said once Koto was close enough to hear him. "We met the other day. How are you?"

"Um…the other day?" She tipped her head to the side, confused. "I…don't remember you, sorry. Should I be?"

"No, that's quite all right," Masako interrupted, casting him a pointed glance. "I don't expect you to remember any of us."

Koto seemed not to have heard. She had her eyes fixed on Naru. There was a strange light in her eyes that wasn't quite all anger, surprise, or confusion, but a mix of all three. She strode over to stand in front of him, not having to look up that much to stare him in the eye. Then…she raised a hand…

And slapped him upside the face.


	3. Part 3: One Knock Means Yes

Chapter three~ :3 I still don't own Ghost Hunt…and it's not gonna change.

…

Koto's actions were something none of them were prepared for. Even Lin seemed mildly taken aback, if not completely shocked. Naru made no move to stop her, and merely let his head roll to the side to lessen the blow a little. The impact left a red handprint on his face. They both merely held their positions for a moment, Koto with her hand off to the side, glaring fiercely. After what seemed like an eternity, Naru turned his head back to her.

"I guess I deserved that."

_Now_ they were confused. This kind of behavior in Naru was unheard of. Letting himself get slapped was one thing, but then saying he deserved it? Just who the heck _was_ Koto anyway?

"You are such an insufferable piece of…" Koto cut herself off, apparently adding something colorful to describe Naru in her mind. "I can't believe you, N—"

Quick as a flash, Naru put a hand over her mouth. His eyes had narrowed slightly, but other than that, they couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Wrong nickname. It's Naru now."

Koto stared right back until he took his hand away. "Naru, huh? Let me guess…as in, Naru the narcissist? Who came up with that clever one?" Naru gave a nod in Mai's direction. Koto followed it, then grinned. "Good job, Mai. You hit the nail on the head." Her cheerful demeanor vanished an instant later as she whipped her head back to Naru. "So what do you have to say for yourself, mister? No, wait, I don't want to hear it. I'll have nothing to do with you anymore!" She gave a stiff but curt nod towards Lin. "Lin." Koto turned on her heel and stalked off. No one tried to stop her; they were all busy processing what had just happened.

"Naru…do you know her?" Ayako asked dumbly after a long silence.

"We're acquainted," he replied shortly.

"Sounds like you're more than that," the self-proclaimed miko added under her breath. She formed a small circle with Monk, Masako, John, and Mai. "So who is she, Mai?"

"How should I know?" Mai whispered back.

"You're the one who goes to school with her," Masako pointed out softly, which earned her a glare from Mai.

"Well…she's very quiet. I didn't get more than a sentence out of her at a time. And…" Mai hesitated. "Well, there's a ghost following her around, terrorizing all the kids who tease her."

"A ghost?" Monk didn't have to think long before he came up wit an answer. "Do you mean the spirit who possessed her the other day? Rubi, right?"

"Yeah, that's her," Mai replied quietly. "I saw her…in the mirror. And I think she was messing around with me in art class. My brushes kept rolling across the table, and sometimes I felt hands on my arm or a voice in my ear. It wasn't much but…it happened repeatedly."

"I didn't sense anything in Koto's vicinity when she was here," Masako said, answering their unspoken question. "Perhaps the spirit knew who and what we were, and decided to stay away. I did feel a faint presence inside the school…just inside the main entrance, as if looking out at us."

"I think I saw a face in the window," John said suddenly. "It looked like a girl with green eyes and auburn hair."

"That's Rubi!" Mai said, surprised. "She's the one I saw in the mirror. I heard her talk, too. She spoke quite clearly…"

"Then it's an intelligent spirit we're dealing with," Monk said absently.

"Intelligent?" Mai repeated, feeling like an amateur again.

"I'll explain for Mai's sake." They all looked over to Naru as he continued, apparently oblivious to Mai's newfound rage. "There are different types of spirits that can cause a haunting. They are intelligent, residual, poltergeists, and entities. Poltergeists, as you know, are often caused by humans, usually adolescent females, undergoing a lot of stress. An example of an entity in a building would be Urado. He was obsessed with the task of keeping himself alive, and his spirit was transformed into a monster as a result. Residual hauntings are the most common and merely involve a spirit trapped in a place and unable to leave. They aren't aware that they're dead or that there may be other people around them, and merely repeat the same actions over and over like a broken record. Residual hauntings only occur in one place, such as school or a house. Intelligent spirits are aware that they're dead and can interact with the living as they please. Intelligent spirits tend to follow certain people around and cause trouble everywhere."

"Do you think they could mess up your equipment?" Ayako asked.

"It's a very real possibility." Naru seemed to deflate slightly. "But before we can do anything, we need to find Koto again. Mai, did she say anything strange to you during school? Anything that sticks out?"

Mai thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nope, not that I can recall."

"Then there's only one place she could have gone… Lin, take the others back to the main building. Koto and I will be arriving shortly."

"Hey, Naru, wait—!" Mai started, reaching out a hand, but he was already swiftly walking away. She pulled her hand back, scowling. "And there he goes. Honestly, you'd think he'd at least tell us where he's going once in a while…" She turned to Lin, who seemed to be debating with himself on the wisdom of letting Naru waltz off on his own. "Hey, Lin, do you know Koto, too?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, but now isn't the time or place to discuss it. I'm not at liberty to reveal Koto's secrets without her permission." He raised a hand as they all started to protest. "I promised to keep my silence. She's a very insecure girl who takes everything people say and twists it so it sounds harmful. She doesn't mean to, but I suggest you all watch your tongues. It takes very little to set her off, even by accident."

"She's paranoid?" John reconfirmed. When Lin nodded, John said, "Ah, I see… She doesn't appear to have a lot of faith in herself, judging from what I've been told thus far."

"She doesn't, but I can't say any more without Koto's word. Let's just head back. Naru will return soon, and if he sees we're not there, he'll be upset."

There were mutters of agreement. If there was one thing that could motivate them, it was Naru's anger. It was a frightening thing…

…_;;_**A**n **H**our **L**ater_;;_…

An hour later, and Naru and Koto had returned. Masako sensed Rubi's spirit close behind the duo, but didn't have to announce it. The moment they walked in, the room chilled. Mai was tempted to go find a sweater, but refrained. They all chatted for a while, Naru doing most of the talking. Koto kept quiet unless asked a direct question, which she then answered with as few words as possible. She seemed partial to Naru now, instead of angry, as she'd been before. Throughout the conversation, the coldest part of the room (Rubi) drifted among them, tossing their hair or breathing down their necks occasionally. She didn't do anything violent until…

"Koto, are you considered crazy?" Ayako asked.

The entire room went pitch black. The table rattled violently, and there was banging on the walls. A high-pitched wail echoed through the room, followed by a round of strangely amused and disembodied giggling. Footsteps walking around the group of them, getting increasingly louder and louder, like a vulture circling closer and closer to its prey. Ayako yelped a moment before the lights flickered back on.

There were deep claw marks on her arm, fresh and bleeding. They looked…like she had angered a cat.

"What in the—?" John looked back and forth from Koto to Ayako. "Ayako, are you all right?"

"Yeah, it just caught me by surprise," she replied, casting Koto a nasty glare. "It's not fatal, I'll live."

Koto had her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" She sounded like she was close to tears. "Rubi…she does this when I get upset. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be offended or anything…it's my fault, it's all my fault…"

"Lin," Naru said.

"Right. Koto, here, come with me. Let's have a talk, all right? Just you and me." He led her away, but Rubi made no move to follow. She hovered invisibly behind Ayako, tugging violently at the miko's hair.

"Masako, can't you tell her to cut it out?" she hissed, her patience rapidly running thin.

Masako merely hid a small smile behind her sleeve. "You appear to have upset her, Ayako. Try apologizing."

"What? No way!"

"That's enough."

They turned their attention back to Naru. His eyes were fixed entirely on where Rubi was, and he still seemed calm as ever.

"Rubi, I need to talk with you. They'll all be yes or no questions, so perhaps you could knock on the walls to answer. One for yes, and two for no. Is this agreeable?"

"**Yes."**

Obviously, speech had caught them all off guard. Masako did confirm, however, that Rubi had moved away from Ayako and was floating around the edge of the room.

"You are Rubi Tanaka, correct?" Naru asked.

One knock.

"You're aware that you're dead, correct?"

One knock.

"Do you know how you died?"

One knock.

Naru paused. "You're acquainted with Koto Yamamoto. Is she your friend?"

One knock.

"Are you protecting her?"

One knock.

"Are you the one who asked for help?

There was a long pause. Masako whispered that Rubi was still in the room. After what seemed like forever, there was one knock on the wall.

"Do you still want our help?" Naru inquired.

One knock.

"The place you're most comfortable in…is it the graveyard?"

Two knocks.

"Is it your parent's house?"

Two knocks.

"Is it Koto's house?"

One knock.

Naru nodded. "I see. Thank you, Rubi, you have been most helpful. Last question. If we agreed to set up the investigation at Koto's house, would you be able to communicate more accurately with us there?"

There was a pause, but this one didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt…more thoughtful, as if Rubi honestly wasn't quite sure. There was a tentative knock on the wall followed by **"I don't know."** There was another pause, then Rubi came back towards them. **"Maybe."**

"You can go with Koto now," Naru said. Another moment paused, then the room lost its chill. Mai heaved a sigh.

"Rubi has moved to Lin's office," Masako confirmed. "She's lingering around Koto and Lin, but I don't sense any evil intentions at the moment."

Naru got to his feet. "All right. It's decided. Once we get Koto's permission, we'll set up base and get to work."

…

End of chapter three~ This one's a little longer than the other two. Normally, I'll have the chapter varying from four to six pages, just so you know.


	4. Part 4: Summing Up the Situation

I still don't own Ghost Hunt. D8 Darn. Oh well.

…

;;**S**aturday, **D**ay **1**;;

"Don't you think this is a bit weird?"

Mai looked over. After a lot of persuading, Lin had managed to convince Koto to let them set up base in her house. At first, she adamantly refused to let Naru anywhere near her house, but said she didn't have any problem with the others. It took twenty minutes for Lin to reason with her, but once he did, she gave in. She gave them directions to get there, but since it had been late, they decided not to go until the next day. Naru and Lin had decided to show up later, so Takigawa (usually referred to as Monk) arrived at SPR to take Mai over. Ayako, John, and Masako were taking a different route. Now, she and Monk were standing on Koto's doorstep, just having rung the bell.

"Weird how?" she inquired.

"Rubi is obviously an intelligent spirit, but she stayed behind in this realm. Why didn't she simply pass on when she died?"

Mai nodded, picking up his train of thought. "That's true. Maybe she doesn't want to leave Koto. She did say she was protecting her."

"That's another odd thing…" Monk put a hand on his chin, thinking. "We all heard her speak quite clearly. So then why did Naru decide to play Twenty Questions? Why not just ask her to tell us the answers? It's not his style."

"That's true too…" Mai murmured. She dropped the subject, however, as the door opened. Koto looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep last night, but had put on her fake grin again.

"Thanks for coming, come on in," she said, stepping aside. "Sorry it took me so long, I didn't hear the door. I was, ah, preoccupied."

"It's fine," Mai replied, smiling. "Don't worry about it. We didn't wait long." She happened to glance down, as she was taking her shoes off, and noticed Koto's hands. They were blackened with…ink, maybe? "Koto, your hands…"

She lifted them to eye-level, grimacing. "I was working when you knocked. I didn't have a chance to wash it off my hands. It's just ink, don't worry."

"What were you working on, if I may ask?" Monk gave her his friendliest smile.

"I'm a part-time manga artist for an agency downtown," she replied. "I'm not really known that well, and my art isn't very good, but it's fun." The closest thing to a real smile flitted briefly across her face, but vanished just as quickly. "I'll show you around, if you want."

"That would be nice, thanks."

So, Koto showed them around. It was a simple two-story house, but seemed oddly larger on the inside. She'd cleared out a room on the bottom floor for base, as Lin had suggested, and said there was enough room upstairs for everyone to be mostly comfortable. As she led them back downstairs, Mai decided to ask.

"Koto, are your parents around? Are they okay with you letting us stay here?"

Koto paused, glancing up over her shoulder. "My parents are in America. I'm originally from Maine, and I moved here to stay with my grandmother on my father's side when I was ten. So, it's been about five years now. This is the house we used when we took vacations in the summer to visit. Her house is just around the corner."

"Oh, so your grandmother knows you're here?" Monk asked.

"Of course she does," Koto replied in a very strange tone. She was still looking at them with her fake smile, but it looked oddly…demented… "My grandfather is just around the corner, remember?"

Both of them stopped, a few stairs above her. She had said 'grandfather' that time…not 'grandmother'. There was…something wrong here.

"Koto…where is your grandmother?"

"The cemetery. She died last month."

Dead silence filled the staircase. Mai couldn't remember how to breathe. Her grandmother…was dead…?

"Are you living here by yourself?" Monk asked quietly.

Koto's grin widened. "Oh, no, of course not. Rubi's here, and Frostbite, and Grammie. And there are others, too. I'm not alone. I'll never be alone."

The silence persisted. Mai felt like there was something heavy sitting on her chest, crushing all the air out of her lungs and causing her heartbeat to slow. She was scared that if it persisted…her heart would stop. The pressure kept growing until Koto's face turned back into a blank slate.

"I did it again, didn't I?" She sighed through her nose. "I'm sorry. Sometimes things just…come over me. It's not that I've been possessed, because I know what I just said. It's…different."

"You said that you know how it is when you're possessed," Monk said, purposely changing the subject. "How do you know that?"

"Rubi told me what she did the first time. She always gets my permission before possessing me, but she hasn't always shared what she did while in control of my body. I guess that's how you guys wound up here." Koto raised her hands in a helpless gesture. "Well, if she thinks you're going to be important or something, I have to trust her." Koto paused, hesitating. "But to tell the truth, I'm really glad you came to help us out…even Naru. I don't know if I could handle another night in the dark by myself. There are…things I can't explain…"

"Would you like to explain it to us?" Monk asked.

Koto shook her head. "I'm only saying it once, so I'll wait until everyone arrives. Once is hard enough…I don't think I could manage two or three times."

They didn't press Koto for any more information on the subject. Instead, they switched to something else. Since Koto had yet to actually look happy in the presence of others, they tried to get a grin out of her. It wasn't as hard as they'd expected. Once Mai complimented her on how well she spoke Japanese (because she was American beforehand) Koto perked right up. It turned out that Mai was actually a huge fan of Koto's work, and that also brought her spirits up. By the time Masako, Ayako, and John arrived, Koto was in the best mood she'd been in for weeks.

Masako, upon entering the house, appeared puzzled. She kept looking back and forth, as if trying to spot something out of the corner of her eye that kept darting away whenever she looked right at it. Mai inquired about her strange behavior while John happily chatted with Koto in English.

"What's wrong, Masako?" she asked. "Do you sense anything here?"

"I can feel the presence of multiple spirits… There have to at least be seven or eight clearly defined ones, Rubi included, and dozens of others that have a faint presence. I don't feel anything evil…but I do sense mischief among their numbers."

"So they're playful?" Ayako asked sarcastically. "Give me a break. This is clearly the work of—"

"An earth spirit, we know," Monk, Masako, and Mai all groaned in unison.

Getting back to the point, Monk had an insightful question for Masako. "Does it feel like sacred ground? Not good, but not bad either?"

Masako shook her head. "No, this is not sacred ground. There are neither evil nor good intentions here, but it's not sacred. If I had to describe it, this is almost like a meeting place where spirits can gather safely and easily."

"Perhaps they're just curious because we're new," John offered, reverting back to Japanese. "Spirits usually don't reveal themselves when newcomers first arrive."

"Good point," Monk admitted. "Anyway, when did Naru say he was gonna get here?"

"Who knows," Mai sighed. "He'll show up when he wants to show up. There's no rushing Naru."

"True that," Koto added from out of sight. "Come on in here, you guys. I've got tea if you want."

They spent the better part of the next hour chatting about things unrelated to the case. It turned out that once Koto got talking, they were hard pressed to get her to stop. Nothing really happened paranormal-wise. When Naru and Lin finally did arrive, they were all business, as usual. Koto's attitude soured again, and she tried to answer direct questions as quick as possible. She gave Naru the cold shoulder until she had to explain the incidents in the house. She looked down at the table, but clearly only spoke to him and directly to him.

"Well, I get spooked easily, so I dunno if the story will creep you out or not, but whatever. The most active places are here in the kitchen, the downstairs study, and my sister's spare room. Though…a lot of stuff happens elsewhere too. I got pushed down the stairs last week, and there are voices and footsteps that go around at night." She tightened her grip on her wrist. "I try not to think about it."

"What happens in the three places you mentioned?" Naru asked.

"The study is really weird. If you look at the floorplan, it's a fairly small room, but once you walk in, it feels like it's huge. There's always this chill in the air, and there's sort of like this fog in there at night. This one time, before I really noticed all this stuff happening, I went in and I couldn't get out. It's not that the door locked or anything, it doesn't have a lock, but I physically couldn't find the door anywhere. I couldn't have been in there for more than ten minutes, but when I did find the door, the clock said I'd been gone for an hour and a half. I haven't really been in there for a while."

"And your sister's room?"

Koto hesitated. "I hardly go in there anymore either. It always smells like blood and there's this really low male voice that says stuff. He knocks on my walls at night sometimes…and I thought I saw a hand coming through the wall just the other night." She'd yet to look up and at any of them.

"What about here in the kitchen?"

"Okay, this place honestly scares the living daylight out of me. The other places make me want to run a mile away, but I can't even move when I come here at night. I just wanna break down sobbing." She hesitated, then looked up and stared Naru in the face. "I came in here once, and there was this clown. Not a real one, just a doll, but it was sitting on the counter right behind me. I didn't turn any lights on, but it was like it was glowing. I didn't really care, because this was only a few days after Rubi had…well, you know. But whatever. It was just sitting there. I stared at it for a few seconds, then went to get my water. When I turned back around, it had moved." Koto seemed to have to force herself to continue. "And I'm not just talking fell off the counter. I'm talking slid all the way down the length of the counter next to the fridge and me and grabbed a _knife_ from the block over there. It had it in its little hand and I got the hell out of there. I _ran_ all the way to the nearest twenty-four hour store and just wandered around all night. I've seen that thing four more times… Rubi says not to worry about it, that it won't hurt me, but there's just so far that you can trust somebody. Especially somebody who's dead." Koto gave a visible shiver. "I've barely slept since last week, when it appeared for the fifth time. And get this, I went through everything in the house, and I couldn't find a clown doll _anywhere_."

All she got from Naru was thoughtful silence. After waiting a few long seconds, she looked down.

"Is that all?" she asked the table.

"Yes, for now. Do you have the floorplan of this house on handy?"

"No, but I can get it for you in less than ten minutes." Koto bit her lip. "It's…in the study. Somewhere."

Naru looked to Lin, then back to Koto. "Lin will help you find it. Ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes," she repeated in a small voice. "Let's go, Lin. I'll show you where it is." Her movements toward the door seemed oddly stiff and automated, and when Koto passed Mai, Mai noticed how her eyes were bright and full of unshed fear-tears. Koto did _not_ want to go into the study, even with Lin with her.

"Hey, can I tag along?" Mai asked, heading after them. No way was she letting the blue-scarf girl out of her sight in this house. Even with Lin along.

"Sure, tag along," Koto repeated. "I don't mind." She still didn't look like she felt very safe.

Mai drew up alongside. "Don't worry, we're not going to let anything happen to you," she assured her. "Lin and I will make sure nothing happens, okay?"

Koto gave a nervous, unstable smile. "That's…not what I'm worried about."

"Then what is it?" Lin inquired from Koto's other side.

She hesitated. "No real harm has ever come to me in the house…but I don't know what's going to happen with you lot. The ghosts or spirits or whatever they are might get violent. I know Rubi's pretty docile unless provoked, and my Grammie can't hurt a fly. Those students who got attacked by a cat spirit were assaulted by my late tabby, Frostbite. She likes the name Frosty better. She's usually okay too, but…there are others. Like the deep-voiced man and the clown…"

"Don't worry, we can handle it," Mai said, giving Koto one of her best smiles. "We've dealt with things like this before. I'm sure we can solve the mystery and get you back to living in peace. We'll make sure you don't have to be afraid of your own house anymore."

"Thanks, Mai…that means a lot." Koto stopped in front of a door, shivering again. "Well…this is the study." She slowly reached for the knob, clenching her fingers around it in a death grip. "I'll open it on three…" Mai reached out and took Koto's other hand, subconsciously telling the girl that she was still here. "One…two…three," Koto whispered, shutting her eyes and turning the knob. Without a word, Mai and Lin followed her inside, and the door shut behind them.

…

It took a while for me to finish this… D: Sorry! I'm on vacation now, so I should have a few more chapters up soon…hopefully.


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